Kavita
Kareadita · Entertainment
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What is Kavita?
Kavita is a home library server for people who collect digital comics, manga and ebooks. It puts the whole collection in one web interface, with a reader made for each format. Family and friends can have their own logins, and the owner decides what each person can see.
Kavita is a self-hosted reading server for manga, webtoons, comics and books. It serves CBR, CBZ, ZIP, RAR, 7zip and image files as well as EPUB and PDF, with built-in readers that work on phones, tablets and desktops. You can share the library with friends and family through user accounts with role-based permissions and age restrictions.
Core capabilities
- Built-in readers for EPUB, PDF and comics, with webtoon and double-page modes.
- Smart filters, collections and reading lists, including CBL import.
- Exposes the library to OPDS-enabled reading apps.
Readers for each format
Kavita serves manga, webtoons and comics in CBR, CBZ, ZIP, RAR, RAR5, 7zip and raw image formats, plus books in EPUB and PDF. Each format has its own reader, with single page, double page, webtoon and continuous reading modes. The EPUB reader supports custom fonts, virtual pages, highlights and notes, and annotations can be shared with other users or exported to Obsidian. Themes change the look of the whole interface.
- Manga
- Comics
- EPUB
- Readers
Library management and users
The scanner parses metadata from file names and ComicInfo.xml, and an index-backed search filters by metadata. Collections, reading lists with CBL import, Want to Read and smart filters help organise large libraries. Users sign in with built-in accounts or OIDC. Roles control access by library, age rating and in-app abilities.
- Metadata
- Reading lists
- OIDC
- Permissions
Run it yourself under GPL-3.0
Kavita builds are self-contained, so no other software is needed, and the main hardware requirement is a CPU with SSE4.2 support. Images are published on Docker Hub, the GitHub Container Registry and LinuxServer.io, and native installs are also documented. The project calls itself beta software until version 1.0. Kavita is released under the GPL-3.0 licence, and Kavita+ is an optional paid subscription for internet-facing extras such as external metadata and scrobbling.
- Self-hosted
- Docker
- Kavita+
- GPL-3.0
Where it fits
Use cases
- 01
Share a comic and manga library with family
Run the jvmilazz0/kavita Docker image with your manga folder mounted and a config folder at /kavita/config, then open port 5000. Create a library and pick a type such as Manga, Comic or Book so the scanner reads your files correctly. Add each person as a user, then choose which libraries they can see and which age ratings they can read.
- 02
Read on an e-reader or another app
Turn on OPDS to open your library in OPDS-enabled reading apps, and see the wiki for third-party clients such as KOReader and Panels. Send to Device sends a book to a Kindle or another device so you can read offline. Folder watching picks up new files automatically.
- 03
Organise a large collection
Kavita reads metadata from file names and ComicInfo.xml, so series and volumes are grouped for you. Build collections and reading lists, or import a CBL file to follow a comic reading order. Save smart filters and pin them to the dashboard or side navigation for quick access.